Specifications
The 2xx Duos were powered by either Motorola 68030 or 68LC040 processors, ranging from 25-33 MHz. When Apple debuted its next-generation PowerPC processors in 1994, it took nearly two years for the first PowerPC Duo (the 2300c) to debut. The original PowerPC 601, like the original 68040 before it, produced too much heat and consumed too much power for Apple to use in any laptop, but by the end of 1995 the more efficient PowerPC 603e had been developed, which was featured in the Duo 2300c and its full size companion, the PowerBook 5300 series. The PowerPC 603e was designed for a 64-bit bus, but was engineered by Apple to run on an older 32-bit bus to maintain compatibility with the Duo Docks. This led to poor system and video performance.
| Year | Launched | Model | Processor, speed | RAM (min.-max.) |
Discontinued | OS recommended | OS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | October | PowerBook Duo 210 (passive display) | 68030 25 MHz | 4-24 MB | 1993 October | System 7.1 | Mac OS 7.6.1 |
| October | PowerBook Duo 230 (passive display) | 68030 33 MHz | 4-24 MB | 1994 July | System 7.1 | Mac OS 7.6.1 | |
| 1993 | October | PowerBook Duo 250 (active display) | 68030 33 MHz | 4-24 MB | 1994 May | System 7.1.1 | Mac OS 7.6.1 |
| October | PowerBook Duo 270c (active color display) | 68030 33 MHz, 68882 FPU | 4-32 MB | 1994 May | System 7.1.1 | Mac OS 7.6.1 | |
| 1994 | April | PowerBook Duo 280 (active display) | 68LC040 33 MHz | 4-40 MB | 1994 November | System 7.1.1 | Mac OS 8.1 |
| April | PowerBook Duo 280c (active color display) | 68LC040 33 MHz | 4-40 MB | 1996 January | System 7.1.1 | Mac OS 8.1 | |
| 1995 | August | PowerBook Duo 2300c (active color display) (Apple never offered a monochrome 2300, but a 2300 PowerPC motherboard could be installed in the PowerBook Duo 250 as an upgrade. | PowerPC 603e 100 MHz | 8-56 MB | 1997 February | System 7.5.2 | Mac OS 9.1 |
Read more about this topic: PowerBook Duo